兵贵神速 bīng guì shén sù Speed is of the essence

Explanation

这个成语出自《孙子兵法》，意思是说打仗要讲究速度，出其不意，才能取得胜利。

This idiom comes from 'The Art of War' by Sun Tzu, which means that warfare requires speed and surprise to achieve victory.

Origin Story

东汉末年，天下大乱，曹操在官渡之战消灭了袁绍。袁绍的儿子袁熙、袁尚带领残部投奔北方的单于蹋顿。曹操为尽早巩固北方，采纳郭嘉的建议，亲率精兵日夜兼程、出其不意地消灭蹋顿的部队。袁熙兄弟被辽东太守公孙康所杀。这场战役体现了“兵贵神速”的重要性，曹操利用速度优势，出其不意地打击了敌人，最终取得了胜利。

dōng hàn mò nián, tiān xià dà luàn, cáo cāo zài guān dù zhī zhàn miè shī le yuán shào. yuán shào de ér zi yuán xī, yuán shàng dài lǐng cán bù tóu běn běi fāng de dàn yú tà dùn. cáo cāo wèi jìn zǎo gòng gù běi fāng, cǎi nà guō jiā de jiàn yì, qīn shuài jīng bīng rì yè jiān chéng, chū qí bù yì de miè shī tà dùn de bù duì. yuán xī xiōng dì bèi liáo dōng tài shǒu gōng sūn kāng suǒ shā. zhè chǎng zhàn yì tiǎn xiàn le “bīng guì shén sù” de zhòng yào xìng, cáo cāo lì yòng sù dù yōu shì, chū qí bù yì de dá jī le dí rén, zuì zhōng qǔ dé le shèng lì.

In the late Eastern Han Dynasty, the country was in great turmoil. Cao Cao defeated Yuan Shao in the Battle of Guandu. Yuan Shao's sons, Yuan Xi and Yuan Shang, led their remaining forces to the northern Hun king Tàdun. To consolidate the north as soon as possible, Cao Cao adopted Guo Jia's suggestion and led his troops day and night to defeat Tàdun's forces unexpectedly. Yuan Xi and his brothers were eventually killed by Gongsun Kang, the governor of Liaodong. This campaign showed the importance of 'speed is of the essence'. Cao Cao used his speed advantage to surprise the enemy and ultimately won the victory.

Usage

形容做事要快, 效率高

xíng róng zuò shì yào kuài, xiào lǜ gāo

Describes the importance of acting quickly and efficiently.

Examples

  • 在商场上，我们也应该学习兵贵神速，抓住机遇，快速行动。

    zài shāng chǎng shàng, wǒ men yě yīng gāi xué xí bīng guì shén sù, zhuā zhù jī hùi, kuài sù xíng dòng.

    In business, we should also learn the principle of 'speed is of the essence,' seize opportunities, and act quickly.

  • 面对突发事件，一定要兵贵神速，快速做出反应。

    miàn duì tū fā shì jiàn, yī dìng yào bīng guì shén sù, kuài sù zuò chū fǎn yìng.

    In the face of sudden events, we must act quickly and respond quickly.

Related Idioms

  • 速战速决

  • 事不宜迟

Opposite Idioms

  • 优柔寡断

  • 犹豫不决